Back to the Future Nikes go on Sale: You Can’t Afford Them

They have finally done it. After four years in development, Nike has recreated their famous Nike MAG trainers worn by Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly in Back to the Future Part II (1989). Thing is, at their current price on eBay you will be unlikely to ever actually see a pair, let alone own them.

Nike has opted for eBay only auctions to sell these new pairs of which only 1,500 have been made. All proceeds go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to benefit sufferers of Parkinson’s Disease. Bidding is currently around the $5,000 mark and climbing fast. With just a few hours left until the first auctions run their course, goodness only knows what the final tallies will be. They do look gorgeous though and it is all in a good cause.

The MAG trainers (referred to by Nike as ‘Slamball Shoes’ during the film’s production), designed/recreated by Tinker Hatfield and Tiffany Beers, have been fitted with a complex electrical system to keep LED lights built into the sole, heel and instep running for up to five hours. You can then plug them into any power socket with a special adapter (provided. And free postage!) and charge them up again. No, they don’t lace themselves, it’s 2015 for those, but being as Fox had to wear a battery pack strapped to his leg to keep them illuminated, the technology in use here is still pretty swish.

Nike has advised that you do not play sport in the MAGs. If you are lucky enough to win a pair, it is also advisable that you hire a bodyguard to show them off as you’ll not be able to run very fast if someone is chasing you.